


I see Fire

by orphan_account



Series: Dark Matter AU [2]
Category: Voltron: Legendary Defender
Genre: Amnesia, Blood, Dark Matter AU, M/M, Memory Alteration, Mildly Dubious Consent, Scars, Shance Week 2016, Violence
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2016-11-15
Updated: 2016-11-15
Packaged: 2018-08-31 06:04:46
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,375
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/8566786
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/orphan_account/pseuds/orphan_account
Summary: When a chance to have their memories restored pops up the crew of the Castle jump at it. In hindsight Shiro should have known there was no way it would be so easy. Good things just don't happen to people like them and something meant to heal scars would, of course, only create more.Or: Lance ends up stuck in Shiro's worst memory and Shiro has no idea who he is. But does want to bone him. A lot.Shance Week Day Five: Battle Scars





	

**Author's Note:**

> Shiro thinks of himself as Shiro, but the others by their color. They, likewise, think of him as Black. Amber=Matt and Pink=Allura
> 
> Everyone is humanoid but none are actually human. Matt and Pidge are of an Avian race, Allura is Altean, Keith is Galra/Altean, Lance is a demon looking thing, Hunk and Shiro are...other things I haven’t given names to yet.

 

Shiro pulled his hood up higher as he followed Pink through the dense crush of people. They were on Raza-Two, part of the independent Raza cluster, so they didn’t have to worry about the Galra Empire for a change of pace but that didn’t make the considerable bounties on their heads any less. They’d used a fake registration to dock the Castle and were moving in small clusters to the shop they wanted, keeping their heads down and covered when they could, doing their best to blend in. 

It helped that that this city was a bustling one, a hundred or so miles purely dedicated to buying, selling, and trade. Raza-Two was a desert planet for the most part, useless aside from gathering wind and solar power, but was known for its Market Cities, where a person could come and find anything they wanted or needed, be it permanently or just for the evening, without worrying about the Galra or the Corporations coming down on them. Supposedly no one actually ‘lived’ in the cities, just worked and played there from sunrise to sunrise. 

No schools, no real government, no real law enforcement so much as those with the most money paying for enforcers to look after their businesses. It was big, packed, seedy, and lawless, which was just up their alley. 

They were after a particularly unusual service: Past Memory Experience, and Raza-Two was supposedly the best place to go about it as far as independent space went. PME supposedly allowed a person to reach back into their ‘collective unconscious memories of past lives’ and bring them to life in a VR simulation. According to Pink it was based on Altean mind-link tech, and was something that was on the rise among the rich lately (and yeah, it sounded like a bored rich people kind of thing) and everyone turned out to be an ancient princess or warrior, of course, but she thought it might work to access current, but forgotten, memories as well.

Like the ones they had all lost while they were in stasis. Assuming they were just locked up in their brain and not wiped out it wasn’t unreasonable to think this tech might be able to drag them out. Of course that was working under the belief that this stuff wasn’t just some huge scam where they showed you historic VR sims where you played the hero and then told you that was your past life, all while sucking credits out of your wallet. 

Green and Amber were firmly in ‘this is a big scam’ territory, which hadn’t set well with Pink. It seemed she didn’t take kindly to something based off Altean tech being so casually dismissed. Nonetheless the siblings were sitting this one out and watching over the ship with Coran for the time being. 

If it worked out they would come later and look into their own memories. If it didn’t then they’d still be out a fuckton of credits, but not as many as if they whole crew came down. 

“This is it.” Allura announced, pointing across the sandy road at a plain, squat adobe building.

Shiro eyed it skeptically as they made their way over to it. It was, like everything else on this frustratingly hot and dry planet, sunbleached to a dull washed out tan, had slits for windows cut out of it’s surface, and it’s door was little more than a beaded curtain. There were no defining features about it, no signs or advertisement. 

It sure as hell didn’t look like a place pushing the latest in modified Altean-tech. Or anything advanced at all. Honestly this whole segment of the city, with it’s stacked adobe buildings and wobbly looking ladders to get between the levels, clusters of run down tents and stalls, and loose sand paths, didn’t look like much. He’d expected to head for the city proper, with it’s tall glass buildings and bright lights but Pink had lead them right out to this bazar. 

They pushed inside and Shiro was relieved to find that, at least, it was cooler inside than it was out. And fine, that just meant he was going from ‘cooking internally’ to ‘eventual heat stroke’ but it was something. The building itself was nothing special inside, shelves stocked with dehydrated this, freezedried that, and liquified whatever, jugs of murky looking liquid, and what look like incredibly outdated techy stuff and all under a fine coating of dust and sand. 

There was a small Arusian sitting behind a counter. He blinked up at them then inclined his head towards a small hatch cut into the floor. There was a ladder poking out of the hatch and Pink didn’t hesitate to sweep over to it as she pushed down the hood of her dull brown cloak to reveal her silvery hair, swept up into a tight bun. 

He’d been most worried about her and Blue being spotted. Altean royalty had a very distinct look and everyone knew about the Princess Allura who’d (allegedly) killed her father in a coup and then fled when she was found out and, more importantly, everyone knew the bounty on her head was enough to fund the colonization of a small moon, at the very least. The Erahor, Blue’s people, unfortunately embodied many ancient images of ‘evil’ and otherworldly beings and that could cause trouble on some planets. He’d wanted to have both travel with him but Pink had insisted Yellow could look after Blue just fine.

Red had made the trip alone. 

The room below the shabby looking shop was...very different. Brightly lit by dozens of strong overhead bulbs, walls covered in pristine white tiles, a collection of enclosed, horizontal tubes set up against the farthest wall and bays of computers set up against another. There were Arusians scurrying around, bouncing over what looked like miles and miles of wires and cords leading from the computers to the tubes. There wasn’t a speck of dirt anywhere, no indication that they were in some ramshackle building. 

It was quite the transformation. 

Red, Blue, and Yellow were already downstairs and being hooked into machines when Shiro hopped down the hatch, bypassing the ladder completely. They were stripped down to their underwear and sitting still as thin wires were affixed to their limbs and chests. Red raised his head in acknowledgement but most of his attention was on the Arusian who was gazing up at him adoringly while sticking electrodes over his pale purple skin. 

And that was a little surprising. Red didn’t often walk around in his Galra skin, or let the raised scar patterns that identified him as a ‘tainted blood’, or mixed breed or mutt or any other number of endless names for someone who was only part Galra, show. 

Yellow was in the machine next to him, already hooked in and drinking some bring pink slurry with a disgusted look on his face. His body was scarred too, though not in the meaningful or ritualistic way that Red’s was, and covered in heavy red scrolling tattoo lines in the places where his scaled skin permitted it. They seemed random at first glance but Shiro knew now it was some sort of key to something they hadn’t yet figured out. He glanced up and waved at Shiro then went back to forcing down his drink. 

The next machine was empty and then there was Blue, huddled up small and frowning at the Arusian who was connecting the leads to his smoothing unblemished skin. There wasn’t a mark on him, save a sprinkle of moles above his hip. His tail was lashing in clear irritation and his silver painted claws were digging into his palms. 

Shiro could relate.

“Hello.” An older look Arusian greeted them but his attention quickly focused on Pink, as if he could tell she was the one in charge. Which wasn’t untrue. “Your payment cleared this morning so we are all set up to begin. Your companions are just about ready to begin so if you wouldn’t mind stripping down and joining them.” 

Pink nodded, bowing slightly in the Altean gesture of thanks while gesturing for Shiro to go ahead. He took the spot between Yellow and Blue, pointedly ignoring Yellow’s knowing smirk, and sat on the edge of his tube/bed thing. 

“Clothes off please.” An Arusian chirped as they wheeled over a cart covered in odds and ends to get him ready. He couldn’t quite stop himself from wincing. “Arm too, if possible. 

“Is there...no way around that?” He asked quietly. “And the arm is attached.” 

He got a mild blink in response that said everything without the Arusian speaking a word. He sighed then nodded and, after glancing over at the others to find Red and Yellow lying back, headsets on their faces, and Blue glaring balefully at his own pink drink, started stripping down. Only Pink and Coran had seen him really stripped down, for the purpose to tending to wounds, and he’d been hoping to leave it that way but..

He should have been used to things not going his way at this point. 

Shiro knew he wasn’t pretty to look at. The first time he’d seen himself after the mind wipe he’d been shocked. Disgusted. Couldn’t begin to comprehend what the hell he actually was and how he’d ended up like he was. His arm was a visible thing, always on display, but the lumpy uneven scar tissue where it integrated into his flesh wasn’t. The port over his heart and the one at the top of his spine, for what reasons he still didn’t know yet, wasn’t. Nor was that his left leg, from the knee down, was another robotic addition. Or the strange tattoos along his spine, numbers and letters that meant nothing to him anymore. Or the scars, so many of them, that covered his body. Some were clearly surgical, neat and tidy with staple or suture marks like the long line down the center of his chest, but others may have been burns or blaster wounds, long gnarly slash wounds and the puckered flesh from being stabbed. From head to toe he was covered in overlapping reminders that before he’d lost his memory he hadn’t been a good person. 

He might not have even been a person at all.

He healed faster than others, abnormally so, but it didn’t stop him from carrying the aftermath. 

His body told a story he no longer had access to and, now that he was looking at it again, wasn’t sure he really wanted to be able to recall. 

A soft sound to the side made him turn and find Blue staring at him. His tail was wrapped around his arm, a gesture Shiro knew meant he was concerned or nervous, and his eyes were wide and startled as they slowly traveled the length of Shiro’s body. When he looked up and caught Shiro’s eye he looked away, cheeks going red under the brown of his skin. 

“Sorry.” 

“It’s fine.” Shiro said as he held out his arms for the electrodes to start being connected. “If anything I should be apologizing.” 

Blue shook his head but before he could speak again his attendant was in his face, demanded he finish his drink. Blue grumbled something but did as he was told. He didn’t look back at Shiro once. Shiro tried not to feel disappointed by it.

One only needed to look at Blue and then look at him to see how different they’d been in their lives before now. To know that whatever was between them wasn’t...it wasn’t something that was likely to survive getting their memories back. They were just too different, even if Blue had an uncanny ability with a rifle. And even if they hadn’t been who the hell would want to wake up next to a body like his? 

He was hooked up, made to drink the overly sweet, artificially fruity drink, and then laid back in his tube. He slide his visor on and tried to breath slowly and evenly as the lid of the tube came down and locked into place with a echoing click. He hated things like this, being locked into an enclosed space for any reason. His skin crawled, his stomach twisted, and his heart thudded against his ribcage; it happened every time, like his body remembered something his brain didn’t. 

“Starting the gas now. Please breathe deeply.” A voice in his headset instructed as a hissing sound filled the tube. He could smell it, heavy and herbal, and taste something bitter on his tongue. He did as told, breathing in and waiting for the darkness that was supposed to proceed this process. 

He got a little whoozy and, after a few moments in which the voice confirmed the others were under, he suspected he should have mentioned that he had an...odd reaction to drugs. And alcohol. And...everything, really. 

“Is this going to work?” A distant voice asked. “What about the others on the ship?” 

“We’ve got their ship surrounded already.” Shiro frowned, alarm surging through him and forcing the heavy sleepy feeling away. “This will be an easy payday; these five will sleep until the bounty hunters come.” 

“But-”

“No buts. They’re reliving their worst moments, no one wakes up from that on their own. Don’t worry so much.” 

“What about the Erahor? There’s no bounty on him.” 

“Sell him? He’ll fetch a nice price.” 

Shiro slammed his hand against the lid, purple light seeping past the darkness his headset had plunged him into. He heard a crack and the tell-tale groan of metal bending. The blinding haze of bloodlust started to creep up, eating away at the effects of the gas. He slammed his hand up again and kicked out with his robotic leg, growling as he willed the anger to come faster, to give him the power and disconnect it always did. 

Someone squeaked and then shouted. 

“Turn up the gas! The big one is still awake.” 

He was going to kill them. Rip their tiny little heads right off of their-

\----

“It’s fine.” 

It was dark. 

“What if he tells?” 

He was floating in something warm. It cradled him, rocked him gently, tried to sooth him to sleep. 

Harsh laughter and the sound of flesh impacting flesh. 

The air tasted sweet. His whole body felt so heavy, even his eyelids. 

“You can do whatever you want to him and then just wipe his memory out after.” 

Sleep sounded nice. 

A whimper made him open his eyes. The world was tinted green and liquid and he felt something around his face, feeding him air. Past the green he saw people, a small group standing around a figure that had been forced down onto the ground. A booted foot between shoulder blades, another foot holding down a tail. Claws scraping against the floor. Horns, spiraled and pale. 

Eyes. Blue, so very blue even through the green. 

_ Blue!  _ A voice he thought he might know shouted from somewhere deep inside of him. 

He reached out and touched glass. 

His arm was hot and getting hotter. 

The glass shattered and he fell out in a rush of clinging gelatinous fluid and wires, was tangled in them as he rolled over the glass. It bit into him, drew blood as he pushed himself up to his knees. The soldiers pinning the shivering figure to the ground stared at him with shocked, fear filled eyes and that...that felt right. 

They should be afraid of him and he was going to show them why.

It was over before it even really began. He launched himself at them, pulled them apart and crushed them with his hands, left them as little more than bloody smears on the slick metal floor before they could unholster their weapons. His own blood had only just begun to sing in his veins, to be warmed by the rush of power that looped from his heart to his arm, when he was done. 

He stared down at his hand, at the soft purple glow, and tried to grapple with the unsatisfied feeling settling in his bones. Was that it? It wasn’t enough. There was...there was supposed to be more. He knew there was supposed to be more. He...this. 

He knew this. Didn’t he?

He was jarred from his thoughts by a heavy weight colliding with his side and hands clutching at his bare skin.

“Black! What the hell is going on?” He pressed against him, hot skin warming his damp clammy body, and pressed his face against his shoulder. “Are you supposed to be here? Am I supposed to-is this my fucking memory? Oh my god, is this...were those guys...do you think?”

He touched the back of his head, petting the silky brown strands soothingly. It was a reflex almost, his body moving to provide comfort before his brain had caught up. He looked around as his brain tried to catch up, to remember, and it slowly came back. They were in his lab, everything built around the pod he’d broken out of. Blinking monitors, soft beeps, dead guards on the floor. 

They were going to punish him for that. 

Again.

They would be coming soon to scold him and take him to his permanent pod, built to withstand his temper flares, but that was something to worry about later. 

He looked back at the creature in his arms. About his height but slighter in build, muscular in a different way than he was. Pastel blue horns grew from his head, long and thin banded things that caught the light and glittered as they rose up in a gentle curve, and a long blue furred tail sprouted from just above the hem of his briefs, trailing down to brush the floor. He didn't think he'd ever seen anything like him here, in the labs. His skin was smooth and unblemished, baring no enhancements or surgical marks. 

Curious. 

Maybe it was a gift then. They did that occasionally, gave him pretty things to play with. They said it was to reward good behavior but he was pretty sure it was just to they could observe him in different ways, doing different things. He didn't mind it and this was very pretty indeed, not cut up and stitched together like all the other ones had been. He'd never seen skin to perfect. 

He brushed his metal hand over it, feeling the warmth and smoothness; it was different than how his other hand felt things but the data processed as something pleasing so he continued to touch curiously. A different kind of hunger stirred in him, bright and hot and _wanting_. It was different than the blood lust but also very similar. He knew this feeling, it always came when they brought the pretty ones to him. Not usually so quickly, or with such heat, but then...this one was so soft, so smooth, under his touch. And so hot. 

"Ummm. Black?" The creature picked up its head, blinking those big blue eyes at him. "W-what are you doing?" 

He smiled then, eyes zeroing in on the surgical table in the corner, bent a little to pick the creature up by wrapping his arm under it's ass. It shouted in alarm as long, lean legs locked around his waist so their chests were flush together. Hands gripped his shoulders hard, claws digging into his skin, and the creature's tail wrapped tightly around his wrists. 

"Black? ...Black?!" The creature's voice went up in panic as they crossed the lab, bodies pressed so tightly he could feel his rapid heart beat-two beats, really, so fast and frantic he could almost think it was a singular beat. He cocked his head to the side curiously. 

"Black? Is that what you want to call me?" He swept his hand up a little, over the curve of its ass to thumb around the base it's tail, as it inhaled sharply and arched its back. Sometimes the pretty ones liked to give him names, something to call him while they mated. He didn't mind that either. "I like it. What should I call you?" 


End file.
